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The best holidays to travel

Posted: 8:38 AM, May 26, 2016

Updated:2016-05-26 12:38:23Z

By:
Sabrina Perry, Graphiq

Elise Amendola

<p>FILE - In this May 8, 2015 file photo, gas station attendant Carlos Macar pumps gas in Andover, Mass. Gasoline is close to breaking below a key psychological barrier as drivers enjoy some of the cheapest pump prices since the recession. The nationwide average price of a gallon of regular Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 was $2.02, down 58 cents from this time last year, according to auto club AAA. Experts say it could drop below $2 in the coming days. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)</p>

Anyone who’s had to travel during the holidays knows how taxing it can be. If you’re driving, the crowded highways and terrible drivers could wear down even the patience of Gandhi. And, if you’re taking to the airports, throngs of stressed travelers and delayed flights likely await. With so many traveling people and the threat of inclement weather
, delays can be the biggest obstacle between you and that Thanksgiving turkey.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom — some holidays are much better for traveling than others.

Using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics
for March of 2015 through February 2016, the experts at travel research site WanderBat
created a Travel Score to find the best holidays to fly. The Travel Score considers the total number of flights on a given holiday and the percentage of those that were on time. Since getting to your destination on time is more important than total number of domestic flights, flight punctuality was weighted twice as heavily as flight volume. The fewer flights and the higher the percentage of on-time flights, the better.

Though flying anywhere for Thanksgiving gets a bad rap, the actual holiday itself is one of the top five best holidays to travel. Choose the right airline
, and it might even be pleasant.